Check Revelation 13 re: the mark of the beast - when has this occurred in history? And regarding Daniel’s 70th week, the apostles may have expected it, but it did not happen at that time.
There are all sorts of theories on who the Beast was, and what his mark was, within preterism. I don’t have a strong opinion on which of these theories is correct. But I will say that they seem plausible to me so that I don’t think that it’s unreasonable to say it has happened. What I think you’re missing is how the larger body of prophecy in the New Testament is self consciously claiming to be the climax of Old Testament prophecy. And, every unambiguous time reference in the New Testament asserts that it would happen within that generation. Old Testament prophecy was based on the transition to the New Covenant, judgment against the apostate members of the Old Covenant, and judgment against the supernatural evil governing mankind at the time. That judgement did in fact happen. There is no point to a future cataclysm.
Nero was the Beast of Revelation. “The Beast” was his nickname back then because of his reputation for cruelty.
But more interesting is the fact that 666 (the number of the beast) is a popular form of encrypting someone’s name in that time period in Rome. Each letter of the Greek alphabet was assigned a number. You add up all the numbers for each letter and the result can be used to verify a name. It’s impossible to reliably reverse this cypher so it is a good way of keeping the actual name secret. They have unearthed ruins from ancient Roman cities where people have written graffiti “I love 483” and such.
Nero’s name was Neron Ceasar and it is encrypted “666” in Greek. Hebrew had a similar from of popular encryption. Nero’s name was Neron Kaiser in Hebrew and the Hebrew New Testament says the number of the beast is 616.
Quote-Check Revelation 13 re: the mark of the beast - when has this occurred in history? And regarding Daniel’s 70th week, the apostles may have expected it, but it did not happen at that time.
In a spiritual sense,revelation 13 goes on this very day.
His four Commandments are hidden in that 13th chapter of Revelation if one would look deep
The first 4 of His Commandments that deal with Worship..it is why the angel warns to worship Him who made heaven, earth, the sea and all that is in them..
(Today is Thor’s day even to believers- that seems prophetic in a bad way)
And that is what the satanic alliance does- breaks His Commandments and steals worship. And causes the world to break His Commands and worship the enemy.
Maybe billions are marked spiritually today as lawless and don’t even know it..
His are sealed and in the same place He was to have His people place His law ( between their eyes And on their hand- deuteronomy 6:8)
And that is where the mark of the beast goes .
Some people keep waiting for a physical mark and maybe Satan’s sign of lawlessness is in the very daily lives of the world and the mark is invisible.
Again, Today is named Thor’s day.after some false god.
That seems a little unbiblical but Rome has been in charge of times and laws for awhile now so they have allowed unbiblical things to creep in. (Daniel 7 had something to say about that too)
Would it not be a shock if one day one wakes up and realizes they have been feeding the beast?
It was to me.